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Disability Hack: Accessibility in Microsoft Outlook

Disability Hack: Accessibility in Microsoft Outlook

Email is so much a part of our everyday lives. We use it to schedule meetings, confirm sales details, and plan events. But what if traditional email setups just don't work for you because of your disability?

For those with visual impairment, squinting at a screen can be a real challenge. Add fancy fonts and hard-to-distinguish color schemes, and the daunting has just become the impossible. And if you're a person with language processing issues, deciphering large chunks of text--often out of context--can make even the most savvy accessibility feature fall apart.

Making Outlook accessible for everyone

Did you know that some truly amazing features are already built in to Microsoft Outlook that will help not only disabled users, but their able-bodied colleagues as well?

  1. "Read aloud" does exactly that--it reads the text on the screen out loud for the user. If you have vision impairment of any kind, or even if it helps to both see the text and hear it out loud, this is a fantastic feature.
  2. "Automatic alt text" is such a game-changer for people with language comprehension disabilities. It changes written text into pictographs, making subject matter easier to understand.
  3. "Accessibility checker" is a tool that works two ways. First, for the person with a disability, you can actually request that your incoming emails be made accessible for you. And for your colleagues, it gives gentle prompts when what they're about to send might not work for everyone. (Ex: Yellow text on a white background? That might not be visible for some people.)

How can Beringer help?

At Beringer, we truly believe that technology should work for everyone. We can help set up your Microsoft systems to fit your individual strengths and challenges, no matter what they are. From Outlook to Word to Teams, we can customize your settings and tools so that you get the most out of them.

We love to introduce our users to their best digital experience. If you'd like to learn more about all of the accessibility features built in to Microsoft products, click here.

Click here to learn more about how to make Microsoft Outlook work for you.

Contact Beringer Today

Beringer Technology Group, a leading Microsoft Gold Certified Partner specializing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and CRM for Distribution. We also provide expert Managed IT Services, Backup and Disaster Recovery, Cloud Based Computing and Unified Communication Systems.